Colt

"Social Grooming"

Though Severus didn't say so, Harry could tell he liked their new cave. It was hard to get Severus to reveal anything about his past, or even how he knew so much about two-legs. Harry had brought the topic up on one or two occasions during the day, but he was always rebuffed. After a few tries, Harry stopped asking.

Potions class for the two-legged children had been canceled for a week while Dumbledore took care of everything. Quirrell's connection with Voldemort was not revealed to the general public. Instead, the students were told that there had been an accident in the Forbidden Forest and that their potions master was dead. No one seemed to miss him very much, and rumors were already spreading that Severus would be the replacement.

Harry had absorbed as much as he could since his awakening in the hospital wing, and he was beginning to get a grasp of how the school worked. It could even be compared to a centaur herd…a really big centaur herd. The two-legs called Albus Dumbledore was the head stallion. The teachers at the school were like the elders. The students made up the rest of the herd. Harry had thought it strange that none of them lived with their parents, but Severus had explained that the youngest children at the school were eleven years old. Harry was eleven, and he was considered an adult in the herd. So, although they were called children, they were all very young stallions and mares. This was slightly confusing to him, but Harry didn't dwell on it.

They had been allowed to leave the hospital wing earlier that morning. Albus, the head stallion, had led them to a cave that they would live in while Severus taught at the school. He had left shortly after, thankfully. Harry didn't like him. He was frightening.

Currently, he and Severus were observing their new living quarters.

They had a large, circular green door over the mouth of their cave. On the inside, there was a large table with two "chairs" (as Severus had called them earlier). Harry assumed those were in case any of the two-legs came to their cave. He hoped they wouldn't, but Severus seemed comfortable enough with them and probably would let them in, even if they were scary. The rest of the walls were covered with bookshelves. Harry had never seen so many books - not even in Severus's old cave.

There was also an ornate fireplace with two small trees growing on either side. The white branches weaved together intricately to form the mantle. Harry thought it was kind of stupid to put a fire right between two trees, but Severus had just finished assuring him that they wouldn't burn.

"Is it some kind of sacred wood?" He asked logically, touching a hand reverently to the beautifully carved trunks. The leaves felt like leaves, but they didn't smell quite right. It was all very perplexing.

"They are just decorative. Wizards and witches are obsessed with cluttering their caves up with things that serve no purpose. They merely like how they look." Harry smiled unnoticeably at his companion. At first Severus had grumbled every time he asked a question, but now he seemed to enjoy teaching him about the wizards and witches.

"Where will we sleep?" Harry asked next. Severus turned from where he had been examining the bookshelves and cast his glance around the room. There were two more of the big, circular wooden doors that they hadn't opened yet. He crossed to the first one, painted a dark blue, and opened it. Inside was an enormous bed. There were more of the decorative trees growing up at the corners, and it was covered with cloth of all different colors. The little squares of dark blue, red, gold, and green cloth were stitched together to form a blanket. It was beautiful. Harry walked into the room, squeezing past Severus who was still standing in the doorway. Hesitantly, Harry pushed a hand against the bed.

It was luxuriously soft, like a big pillow. It made Harry want to take a nap just so he could try it out. Wizards certainly knew how to make a bed!

The bed took up most of the space in the small room, but there was a large trunk in the corner with lit candles sitting on top. The walls of their cave were a rough gray, and was lit entirely by candlelight. The wizards had done a good job recreating a centaur cave.

"How do you think they knew to make it look like this?" Harry asked.

"Albus came to my cave once. No doubt this is his doing."

"What's in the other room?" Harry went to go find out. He was quickly confused. Thankfully, Severus was able to enlighten him.

"Wizards and witches do not use rivers and waterfalls to bathe in. They have small rooms in their caves that they use. Look," Severus walked into the room and turned a brass knob. Instantly, water sprang out of the wall. It landed on the tiled floor and drained down a small hole. "It is called a shower," Severus informed crisply. Impressed, Harry ventured inside and stepped over the small raised wall around the shower. He reached a hand out and felt the water splatter across his skin.

"It's hot!" He exclaimed in amazement, moving further into the spray. The water poured over him, steady and hot, relaxing and refreshing him. Severus continued to explain the function of the other things in the room. One thing looked like a large version of what he had put on his head in the hospital wing.

"This is difficult to explain. Listen closely," Severus instructed, obviously puzzling over how he would explain it to him. Harry was trying to listen, but the hot, steamy water was awfully distracting. It had been so long since he'd had a proper bath. His coat was grimy and his mane was oily. "…because they don't leave their caves to go to the bathroom."

"What did you say?" Harry asked, shocked that the two-legs would do…that…right inside their houses. "Do they at least…you know…clean it up?"

"I told you to listen!" Severus reprimanded, his black brows forking downwards in displeasure. Harry adopted a properly chastised look.

"As I was saying, they use this thing when they need to go, and it carries it away."

"How do you use it?" Harry asked confusedly, still slumped happily under the hot spray.

Severus's face reddened, ever so slightly.

"Well, I'm not giving you a bloody demonstration! You can figure it out yourself." Harry shrugged, not really caring, but finding the embarrassed flush on Severus's face amusing. He decided to change the subject to ease the other centaur's discomfort.

"Can you wash my tail?"

Severus hesitated, and Harry remembered that he hadn't been in a herd for a long time. He probably wasn't used to social grooming.

All the same, with an annoyed sigh, he moved behind him and pushed Harry's flank until his tail was under the spray.

"I didn't want to get wet," Severus grumbled. He wasn't being very gentle removing the tangles in Harry's tail.

"You don't have to yank it!" Harry said, stomping a back foot for emphasis. Severus shot him a dark glare.

"Just be grateful I'm doing it at all. Hand me that bottle, there." Looking at it curiously, Harry passed him the bottle. Severus uncapped it and squirted the strange substance onto his tail.

"Hey! I'm trying to get it clean, not the other way around."

"It's called soap. It will get the dirt out." Severus handed him the bottle to examine. Harry did so, reading the label. He sniffed it.

"It smells like flowers. I'm not a mare, you know."

"Get over it," Severus replied. Harry watched in fascination as his tail became a mess of white bubbles in Severus's arms. The older centaur worked talented fingers through the tangles until it felt smooth and clean. The water rinsed away the white bubbles and left his tail sweet smelling and tangle free. Harry smiled at this, and before Severus could protest, dunked the older stallion's head under the spray. He squirted on the soap and began to work it in like Severus had done to him. The older stallion protested, but after a few moments of having his head massaged, he slumped forward against Harry's chest and let him do the job properly. The hot water continued to pour down, filling the room with steam so that Harry could no longer see Severus. He felt the centaur's face on his shoulder and how their chests touched. Severus let out a small moan of pleasure as Harry worked his fingertips in tiny circles just behind his ears. The water washed away the soap and Harry no long had an excuse to keep running his fingers through Severus's mane. Regretfully, he let the taller centaur go. Harry was glad the steam covered his blush. Both of them were awkwardly quiet for a few moments, until Harry recovered himself.

"Well, turn around so I can get your tail." Harry was secretly delighted when Severus obliged him.

They had used towels to dry off faster, and had then settled down on the thick, soft rug in front of a roaring fire. Severus had wanted to read, explaining to Harry that there were many books on potions in the room he hadn't read before, and gave Harry a book that had obviously been placed in the room just for him. It was entitled, The Magical Beast's Guide to the World of Wizards. Harry wanted to read it, he really did, but the fire was so warm and soothing, and Severus's clean coat looked so tempting to rest on…

Quietly, he moved so that he could stretch his torso over Severus's back. Harry nuzzled his face into Severus's sweet-smelling coat, almost instantly falling asleep.

Severus was frozen. He had been deeply absorbed in his book, and hadn't noticed Harry moving until he was snuggled up against him. He reminded himself that it was normal for Harry. In a herd, centaurs often would lie close together around the fire. Usually, two grown stallions didn't cuddle up to each other, but it wasn't as though there was anyone else. It wasn't that he liked his company or anything.

Severus went back to reading his book all the same, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

A/N: I hoped you all enjoyed the shower scene. snickers evilly I certainly did. I wish I could draw a picture of the two of them cuddled up in front of the fire, like I picture it in my head, but I don't think my artistic skills would extend that far. Oh well. Naughty Albus…only giving them one bed. Hope you all liked it, and thanks for sticking with the story!